Microtia

Microtia (small ear), Anotia (Absence of the ear), treatment and reconstruction of the pinna.

Microtia is a congenital deformity of the pinna in which the pinna is deformed, small, or missing completely (anotia). This defect is often accompanied by the obstruction (atresia) of the external ear canal, and by conductive hearing impairment in the microtian ear. In 50% of the cases, microtia is part of a congenital syndrome.

Microtia occurs in 0.03% of all living newborns.

According to the Central Bureau of Statistics in Israel, 166,296 alive babies were born in 2011, hence this year about 50 children were born with microtia.

Micortia occurs more often on the right side, and is 2.5 times more frequent in boys. One in four children who suffer from microtia is born with a deformity in both ears. This is one of the most common birth defects in Otolaryngology.

Reconstruction of the pinna is a highly complex process.

This process requires the skill of an ENT surgeon who specializes in pinna reconstruction that combines both the aesthetic and the hearing restoration surgeries in the same set of procedures.

The essential skills for such a surgeon are accurate sculpturing, design, and three-dimensional planning capabilities, and a good understanding of the physiology of hearing.

Since most of microtia cases are accompanied by obstruction (atresia) of the external ear canal and consequently result in a hearing loss, the optimal treatment requires the reconstruction of the pinna, the external ear canal and the middle ear by a unique method performed by an ENT doctor who is a specialist in the field.